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Monarch of Menace
The Monarch of Menace is a royal-themed crook who has been able to pull off heists and able to keep Batman at bay with his various gadgets. In the earliest days of Batman’s career, the Monarch of Menace represented the Dark Knight’s only failure, being the first criminal ever to defeat Batman and leave Gotham with a fortune in stolen goods. Years later, however, the Monarch's teenage son tries to prove himself using his father's outfit in a crime spree. The young Monarch is defeated by Robin, while his father is lured out of hiding by Batman, who then finally defeats his old nemesis. The original Monarch later returns, but is once again defeated by Batman. History In the earliest days of Batman's career, the Monarch of Menace represented the Dark Knight's only failure. Dressed in a fur-trimmed red robe with a purple face mask and a gaudy crown, the so-called king of crime's appearance belied his true threat. A variety of devices, from adhesive released through his boots to poison gas emitted from his cloak to an electrified sceptre, were capped by his hypnotic crown. Virtually stymied, the novice crimefighter was left without closure when the Monarch left Gotham with a fortune in stolen goods. Now living a life of luxury in a palatial castle in the tropics, the Monarch mocked his teenage son, whom he described as "a failure" and forced to wear a jester's costume. Determined to prove himself, the young man stole one of his father's outfits and headed for Gotham to launch a crime wave of his own. Instead, his idea is foiled when the young man is easily defeated and captured by Robin, who takes him to Batman.Hoping to lure the boy's father out of hiding, Batman decided to play up the capture in the press as if he were the real Monarch of Menace. The plan worked and, using simple precautions, the Dark Knight evaded the villain's weapons and finally overcame his earliest failure. Elsewhere, the Monarch's son found himself inspired by the heroics of Batman and Robin and vowed that, upon his release from prison, "I want to be a crimefighter --not a criminal.". (Detective Comics #350) Years later, the Monarch learned of The Batman's involvement in a lengthy quest for Ra's al Ghul outside of the United States. Aware that the news wasn't public knowledge, the villain played a bluff and claimed to have captured the Dark Knight. In exchange for regular monetary tributes from the city's major villains, the Monarch would keep Batman locked up. Sensing the scam had run its course, the Monarch announced his impending departure and passed around the collection plate one last time -- requesting a large enough sum of cash to induce him to kill his alleged prisoner. By this point, Batman had returned to Gotham and infiltrated the Monarch's "castle" in the guise of Spellbinder. Pulling the menacing one's cloak over his head, Batman activated its gas jets, finally defeating the Monarch of Menace once again. (''Batman'' #336) Powers and Abilities The Monarch of Menace relied mainly on his many gimmicked weapons to hold his own against Batman. (such as a lightning rod scepter or royal robes that released gas). Initially, this actually proved quite successful, leading to Batman having to outsmart him instead of outbox him Category: Villains Category:Bureau of Missing Villains